How Small Strain Stiffness and Yield Surface Affect Undrained Excavation Predictions
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 17, Issue 3
Abstract
This paper discusses how small-strain stiffness and some aspects of the yield surface affect the finite-element predictions of excavation responses, including wall and ground deformations. By using the in-house-developed constitutive model SC1SS, it is possible to isolate and quantify impacts brought about by selected aspects of the soil behavior. This soil model has been validated to reasonably model Taipei silty clay and deep excavations in such soil. This study shows that ignoring small-strain stiffness can overestimate deformations by as much as 80%, leading to conservative and costly design. Inclined yield surface and Lode-angle dependency (on deviatoric planes) have lesser effects on the prediction results. In addition, the mechanisms behind these impacts are investigated through numerical triaxial tests.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are very grateful to the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan for the financial support for this study.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 17 • Issue 3 • March 2017
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 15, 2015
Accepted: Jun 7, 2016
Published online: Aug 16, 2016
Discussion open until: Jan 16, 2017
Published in print: Mar 1, 2017
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